I am so ready to wave good-bye to August and prepare my mind for a new month. I feel like September is more like a new beginning for me than January. In January, we are so filled with hope for a year unlike any other. We have big plans, big ideas, big dreams. By September, we simmer down a little and while maybe all of our big plans, big ideas, and big dreams seem to fall to the wayside as real life sets in, we still realize we have 4 months left of the year to change our life.
August wasn’t a good month. It was rife with hurting, accidents, hospital visits, and setbacks. I’ve had to grow up in just a few short weeks and realize that my mom isn’t going to be around forever. My grandma isn’t going to be around forever. That I need to get down on my knees every night and pray for those cousins of mine, who are on a collision course of destruction. That it’s times like these that I need to cling that much closer to the cross to give me strength, guidance, and hope.
I’m embracing September. I think we’re going to get along just fine. A few small goals to get me through these next 27 days:
Heal. This has been a month of injuries, from my mom to me. I want to focus on healing this September. My mom is still dealing with a broken elbow, a sprained thumb, and thoughts of regret and anxiety. We have more orthopedic appointments and x-rays to see how her elbow is healing and hopefully getting the OK to do some exercise. I want to leave August in the past where it belongs and focus on new beginnings in the following months. We both need some happiness after both of our hospital visits.
Overhaul my diet. Over this past month, I haven’t been counting points or calories. I’ve been trying to eat smarter, although I haven’t been totally successful with this. I feel happier, though, and a little more free. I’ve been thinking of a different way to view my eating habits, less about what keeps me at 1200 calories a day or 21 points a day and more on what fuels me throughout the whole day. I’m starting small and I have a whole blog post formulating in my mind about this new way of thinking. I want to first think about breakfast and eating smarter during breakfast, which will help me eat less throughout the entire day and feel energized.
Shift back into exercise. Once my mom got hurt, I had to take on a lot of responsibilities which meant exercise shifted to the back burner. And then school started and exercise was just thrown totally off the stove completely. I do want to wait until my thumb heals to really get too serious but I really want to amp up my running again. I’m planning on running a 10K in November and I want to be totally ready for that.
Writing. I only have two stories to write this month for my classes, which doesn’t seem too bad and I know exactly what I’m going to write about for one of them. The second article scares me since it involves my Sports Journalism class, which I think is going to test me the most.
Bake bread from scratch. For my Feature Writing class, I’m writing an article about baking bread. And this means completely from scratch, something I’ve never done. It’s going to be quite an interesting experience and I haven’t even begun to get started! Have any of you baked bread from scratch? Leave me your tips/recipes in the comments, please! (Or you can e-mail me at stephanywrites[at]gmail[dot]com.)
I've made banana bread and friendship bread "from scratch." It's SO easy! My advice though…grease the pan AND flour it! Otherwise, when it cools and you go to take it out of the pan, it'll break apart. Happy Friday!
Love these goals. Love September! The only bread I've made from scratch is zucchini bread but I plan to try my hand at pumpkin bread this season as well. (Neither of which require any kind of dough, which is why I like them. I'm too chicken to make "real" bread!)
Baking bread from scratch is SO GOOD!!! We did that a few times this spring and loved it!
I hope that September is a much better month for you and your family! It's tough when wrenches get thrown in the works from all sides but it sounds like you have a good foundation on which to build up and move forward!
I hope September is MUCH better!
I am also coming to the realization that my family is not going to be around forever. It's hard to deal with it. You don't want things to change.
My husband LOVES to make homemade bread. Here is his recipe – http://www.ilaxstudio.com/blog/2010/08/10/honey-flax-wheat-bread-kitchen-scale-review/.
I'm kind of dreading September. This is the months where school starts cranking up, and with 15 hours with of classes to deal with, it makes me nervous. Hopefully I'll survive. Good luck with your goals! I hope you and your mom heal up well and fast.
I am excited for Fall, but my September hasn't started off too well but I'm trusting it will look up in a few weeks. Regardless, I'm ready for fall and all that this new season will bring.
Fresh baked bread is SO delicious! You'll absolutely love it. It's pretty easy too, so I think you'll have fun. My only advice is if you're making the kind that requires you to set it aside for a bit to rise, make sure you give it enough time! Bread that doesn't rise all the way or hasn't had the time to let the yeast activate is very odd.
I'm sorry August was so difficult, but I hope September is much much better!
Sounds like great goals for Sept! How are those stitches feeling?
I am also inviting September in with open arms. August was a tough month for me, too. A month of some disappointments that i am still struggling to swallow. But September? I am willing it to be a restorative month!! Plus, it's the month that will usher in my marathon and my meet up with Amber, so how can't it be awesome. 🙂
Hope your mom is better soon, and good luck with the overhaul. Drink lots of water! lol
September is such a good month for clearing the head and re-prioritizing…and such fresh fall air helps!
You've had quite an August, I'm sure September will bring better things. I definitely agree September is the start of my "new year".
I feel like September is going to be just great for you, especially when you set goals for yourself like this. I've never baked bread from scratch (despite having been given a fancy bread maker last Christmas – it's still in its box!)